Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for locating and tracking objects in a two dimensional space. In particular, the method and system locate and track objects with radio-frequency identification (RFID) readers.
Description of the Related Art
RFID technology uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to objects. A RFID tag contains electronically-stored information that uniquely identifies the tag, and by extension the object with which the tag is associated.
In an application of passive RFID technology, a RFID reader emits radio frequency energy to energize a RFID tag in range of the reader. The energy received by the RFID tag charges and energizes its circuits. When a sufficient amount of energy has been received, the RFID tag emits a radio signal transmitting an encoded identification number that is detected by the receiver. The receiver decodes the transmitted identification number and reads it.
A drawback of RFID technology is that the passive reading of a RFID tag provides little to no information on the location of the tag and the object to which it is associated. While a reader may have an effective reading range that extends a distance from the reader, not much can be learned regarding the location of the tagged object with respect to the reader.